• Question: How does our brain process decision making?

    Asked by Jambon to Andy, James, Mary Jane, Wil on 15 Mar 2017.
    • Photo: Wilhelmiina Toivo

      Wilhelmiina Toivo answered on 15 Mar 2017:

      I haven’t done much research on decision-making, so I’m not an expert in how it works (I think James and Andy would be better at answering this question!)

      Decision making is really complicated – you need to weigh in the options, their risks and rewards but also other factors may completely change the picture (how big is the decision, what will follow from it, are other people involved, is money involved…) Researchers who have studies patients with brain damage have found that the frontal lobe (the very front part of your brain, directly under your forehead) is heavily involved in decision-making 🙂

    • Photo: Mary Jane Spiller

      Mary Jane Spiller answered on 15 Mar 2017:

      we often use short cuts (called heuristics) to make decisions

    • Photo: Andrew Jones

      Andrew Jones answered on 16 Mar 2017:

      Decisions are made through different circuits in your brain. There are different types of decisions. Some are slow, controlled and deliberated and these happen in the pre-frontal regions. Others can be quick and often without us having to think about them too much (how often do you have to think to put your seat-belt on, often you just do it).

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